Saturday, February 25, 2012

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969)—often known by her moniker J.Lo—is an American actress, businesswoman, dancer and recording artist. She began her career as a fly girl on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller Money Train. Her first leading role was in the biographical film Selena (1997), in which she earned an ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress. She earned her second ALMA Award for her performance in Out of Sight (1998). She has since starred in various films, including The Cell (2000), The Wedding Planner (2001), Maid in Manhattan (2002), Shall We Dance? (2004), Monster-in-Law (2005), and The Back-up Plan (2010).

Lopez came to prominence within the music industry following the release of her debut studio album On the 6 (1999), which spawned the number one hit single "If You Had My Love". Her second studio album, J.Lo (2001), sold eight million copies worldwide; it was number one on the Billboard 200 the same week her film The Wedding Planner led the Box Office. J to tha L–O! The Remixes (2002) became her second consecutive album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. Her third and fourth studio albums – This Is Me... Then and Rebirth – peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. In 2007 she released two albums: her first full Spanish-language album, Como ama una Mujer, and her fifth English studio album, Brave. Lopez returned to music and released her seventh studio album, titled Love?, on April 19, 2011, which produced her most successful single to date, "On the Floor", which is one of the best-selling singles of all time. Furthermore, Lopez has attained five number-one singles in the U.S. Her contributions to the music industry have garnered her numerous achievements, including two Grammy Award nominations, two Latin Grammy Award nominations, and three American Music Awards. She has amassed estimated sales of over 55 million records worldwide. Billboard ranked her as the 27th Artist of the 2000s decade. In 2010, Lopez became a member of the judging panel for the American reality television competition American Idol. Lopez has been selected for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012 for the "Recording" category.

She led People en Español's list of "100 Most Influential Hispanics" in February 2007. That year, Lopez made the Forbes magazine's list of "The 20 Richest Women In Entertainment," ranking ninth. She has appeared multiple times on The Hollywood Reporter's Annual Actress Salary List, and is the highest paid Latin actress in Hollywood. She has parlayed her media fame into a fashion line and various perfumes with her celebrity endorsement. A fashion icon, several of her dresses have received considerable media attention, most notably the Jungle green Versace dress which she wore at the 43rd Grammy Awards in 2000—voted the fifth most iconic dress of all time. Outside of her work in the entertainment industry, Lopez advocates for human rights and vaccinations, and is a supporter of Children's Hospital Los Angeles. In 2011 she was named the most "Beautiful Person" by People magazine in its annual issue. As of 2011, her net worth is estimated to be $150 million. Lopez's personal life has also garnered media attention since the beginning of her career in the entertainment industry. She has had high profile relationships with P Diddy, Ben Affleck and Marc Anthony.

Early Life

Lopez was born on July 24, 1969 in The Bronx, New York and was raised on Blackrock Avenue in the borough's Castle Hill neighborhood. She is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents Guadalupe (née Rodríguez), a kindergarten teacher and David Lopez, a computer specialist. Lopez was raised as a Roman Catholic.

She has two siblings, Lynda and Leslie. Lopez spent her entire academic career in Catholic schools, finishing at the all-girls Preston High School in the Bronx. In school, Lopez did gymnastics, ran track on a national level, and was on the school softball team. She inherited her love of show business from her mother, who wanted to become a professional entertainer herself. Lopez stated that her mother encouraged her kids to throw on little shows around the house, just for fun, performing songs from Broadway, etc. Lopez later briefly worked as a Notary public in a legal office, which she was not happy with

Personal Life

Lopez is equally known for her love life and personal life as well as her career. Lopez dated David Cruz from 1984 to 1994. Her first marriage was to Cuban-born Ojani Noa; they were married in 1997 and divorced in 1998. They have further had legal problems with him being fired from her family restaurant, and a book he wanted to publish about her. Lopez next dated rap mogul Sean Combs for 17 months; they split in January 2001 after his involvement in a nightclub shooting. Following this, she married her back-up dancer, Cris Judd, who she divorced in January 2003. From 2002 to 2004, She dated and later engaged actor Ben Affleck, and their relationship lasted for eighteen months; dubbed as "Bennifer" their relationship ended due to media attention. In 2004, she married Latin pop star Marc Anthony. She was confirmed pregnant in November 2007, and gave birth to fraternal twins Emme Maribel Muñiz, and Maximilian "Max" David Muñiz in February 2008. She separated Anthony on July 15, 2011. Recently, media has focused on her relationship with back-up dancer Casper Smart.